February 2024
Joie de vivre at Jeju Island
This month, we travel with Meghan to a beautiful island in South Korea, to see how the women have broken the mould to become the breadwinners of their families.
on this emerald-green island, surrounded by
mesmerising icy cool, blue waters. Created by an
underwater volcanic eruption some two million
years ago, one look at the island and your heart
will skip a beat.
Jeju-do, also known as Jeju Island, is one of the
two self-governing provinces in South Korea,
run by local natives. Populated by humans since
the early Neolithic period, the Jeju people are
indigenous to the island, and the Jeju language
is considered critically endangered by UNESCO.
The Oval-shaped Jeju island, with a gentle slope
around Mount Halla in the centre, is home to
pristine nature and exquisite beaches, such as
Kimnyeong in the north, Songak Mountain in
the south, and Suwol Peak in the west. One is
astonished by the very existence of such a place
as one walks through the Hallasan National Park
“It is only in adventure that some people succeed
in knowing themselves—in finding themselves.” – Andre Gide
What if I tell you that you have to wear an old fashioned headlight-shaped scuba mask and dive 10 metres into a freezing cold sea, without any modern diving equipment, to catch shellfish and seaweeds from the ocean floor with your bare hands?
Nature’s glory
Welcome to Jeju Island! The magic of this place begins the moment the airplane swerves to land
(a UNESCO biosphere reserve) while hiking up to South Korea’s highest mountain named the Shield Volcano Hallasan. The hike up is so picturesque that you forget how long the climb is, and when you arrive at the top, you feel you are in wonderland. The centre of the lush green crater shimmers with deep blue water, and the entire landscape feels divine, untouched by human meddling. From the basalt-and lava based Gotjawel Forest with its unique ecology, to the Geomunoreum lava tube systems and the Millennium Lake in Yongcheon Cave, Jeju Island has numerous unique offerings for the traveller on a quest. The Cheonjiyeon Waterfall, meaning ‘the connection between land and sky,’ is one of the most famous waterfalls in Jeju.
60 LifePositive | FEBRUARY 2024
Sex education the Korean way
On the eastern end is Seongsan Ilchulbong, also called ‘Sunrise Peak,’ an archetypal tuff cone formed by hydrovolcanic eruptions upon a shallow seabed about five thousand years ago. This tuff cone is 182 meters high and has a preserved bowl-like crater.
“A squillion stars shine in the sky. Soaring angels sing sweet songs nearby. I wake and smile, my dreams are true. The star in my arms, my sun, is you.”
During the 1970s, Jeju Island became a popular honeymoon destination for Korean couples, due to the island’s warm climate. In 2002, graduates of Seoul’s Hongik University began creating sculptures for the park in an area the size of “two soccer fields.” The Jeju Loveland outdoor sculpture park, which opened in 2004, focusses on the theme of sexual exploration, running sex education films, and featuring 140 sculptures and hands-on exhibits to celebrate “a place where love-oriented art and eroticism meet.”
Diving deep to emerge as pathbreakers But the real stars, as well as the Sun of Jeju Island, are the Haenyeo, (sea women or female divers) who make Jeju Island not only a sacred space but also one of my favourite places in the world as it embodies the most harmonious balance between Yin and Yang and establishes genuine nurturance as the epitome of feminine wisdom.
Diving became essential to their survival in the 17th century, at a time when the men of the
island were dying in deep-sea fishing accidents or in wars. The Haenyeo are respected for their sustainable practices, as well as for being trailblazers in the South Korean society as the first working mothers, who broke societal norms to become breadwinners for their families. The men became householders and stayed at home to look after the children. The non-agricultural conditions of this land laid unequivocal gender roles, and people simply obeyed the laws of nature. And this very vibration of a natural way of being became the source of all the joie de vivre of Jeju Island.
A natural wonder
At the gate of all old households, there are these three-metre-tall volcanic stone sculptures called Dol Hareubang (grandfather made of stone). These statues are thought to provide fertility and protection, and are seen as the guardians of the island. They are also sold in small sizes as souvenirs to bring back from Jeju Island.
Jeju Island is full of natural splendour, culture, and adventure. It is now listed as one of the new wonders of the world, besides being a UNESCO World Heritage site. Whether you go to the heritage museums or stone park, or take a submarine tour, when you plan to visit this magical island, remember that Nature will align you with your true essence and balance the masculine and feminine energies within and around you. Enjoy the adventure of the spirit for few things break us out of our routines and awaken us to the living substance of happiness more powerfully than travel.
Meghan, loves the majesty of the planet and the human enterprise. As an ex plorer, she writes on various themes- sacred spaces being her passion. Meghan is also a quantum energy healer and a clairvoyant channel.
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